


The End of The World, More or Less

by zarabithia



Category: DCU (Comics)
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2007-02-26
Updated: 2007-02-26
Packaged: 2019-05-20 00:11:48
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 638
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14883923
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/zarabithia/pseuds/zarabithia
Summary: When the final battle arrives, it comes down to the three of them.





	The End of The World, More or Less

_"Even when it's unintentional. . .When three are involved. . .Someone gets left out." - Diana, as written by Meltzer, JLA #0._

When the final battle arrives, it comes down to the three of them, just as it had been in the beginning. A wisp of nostalgia tugs at Clark's memory, but he pushes it down. There is no time for that now, not when the world needs them.

And the world does need all three of them, even the most breakable one of them all, fighting to the right of Wonder Woman. Which is why Clark focuses as hard as he can on the remaining threat in front of them, trying to ignore the guilt caused by all those that had fallen before. Friends, comrades. . . lovers that he would mourn later, because pausing in the middle of a battle that meant so much to grieve, even for a second, would be shaming the sacrifice of every hero that had fallen to protect a world in desperate need of saving.

But when Batman falls, Clark finds it difficult to fight down that tide of grief, and the soft cry that comes from Diana's right only made it more difficult to do so. When Bruce joins the legions that have already fallen on the battlefield, the weak thump of his failing heart thunders as loudly as the final beat of the last of the heroes that had fallen; both relatively small sounds manage to completely silence the roar of the oncoming army.

"Take care of him," Diana says, slicing her sword through the stomach of an invader with the kind of casual ease that would have bothered him, had he not been distracted by the ever-weakening pounding of Bruce’s heart.

"I have to help you," he argues, not nearly as strongly as he should, blinking back tears with a glare that causes a dozen invaders to fall.

"You have to save him," she responds with the simplicity that had once made her the goddess of truth. "Go do it."

"The planet still needs me." He breaks the bones of the nearest ten of the invader's horde, and watches them fall like shards of glass.

"She has Wonder Woman." Blood from Diana's blade splatters onto his chest, and Clark doesn't notice where it ends and long ago dried blood of Nightwing begins. Her blade swings forward again, causing more to fall, but it is her words that capture Clark's attention. "I can’t save him. You can."

Her heart beat is steady from years of battle training, the remaining horde's are frantic with rage of near defeat, and Bruce’s . . . is growing softer by the minute. "Diana - " he tries to growl, in the imitation of the man who has fallen, but ultimately allows an onslaught to interrupt the argument he can't quite form, never taking his eyes off the barely moving chest of their fallen comrade.

"Do it, Kal, before we lose him as well."

"I'll be back soon," he promises, scooping Bruce into his arms before beginning his promise and lifting into the air before ending it. Superman holds the limp form close to him in an effort to shield fragile human lungs from the biting winds that threaten to steal away the last of Bruce’s already labored breaths.

The nearest remaining hospital that can handle yet another casualty is a continent away; he is half-way there when he hears the last of the invaders fall from Diana's sword. A relieved smile is stopped short a heart-beat later, as he hears Diana fall beside the enemy.

Four long hours later, Bruce’s condition is upgraded to stable, and Clark keeps the last promise he made to Diana when he returns to the site where Wonder Woman saved the world.

There, beside the fallen body of one of his closest friends, he allows himself to weep.


End file.
